FG moves to commercialise scientific researches
The Federal Government has established a committee to develop a National Policy on Commercialisation of Research and Development Results and Inventions. The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, announced this during a strategic meeting in Abuja on Thursday on the commercialisation of research outcomes. The meeting, convened by the Federal Ministry […]
The Federal Government has established a committee to develop a National Policy on Commercialisation of Research and Development Results and Inventions.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, announced this during a strategic meeting in Abuja on Thursday on the commercialisation of research outcomes.
The meeting, convened by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, brought together state Commissioners for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), heads of agencies, and industry stakeholders to chart a roadmap for converting research findings into economic value.
The Minister said, “I have constituted a Committee to develop the National Policy On Commercialization of Research and Development (R&D) Results and Inventions (Nigeria).
“This Committee has been mandated to study any existing documents on the subject, review existing documents and fashion out new information as a reference point for developing the national policy.
“The policy will serve as a national blueprint to harmonise federal and state efforts, eliminate fragmentation, and provide clarity to researchers, investors, industry players, and development partners.”
“Your inputs as State Commissioners will be critical in shaping this policy to reflect sub-national realities and comparative advantages.”
He noted that despite significant investments in research and development across universities, polytechnics and research institutes, many innovations remain unused.
“Too many valuable research outputs remain on laboratory shelves, in technical reports, or in academic journals without translating into products, services, or enterprises that can transform lives,” the minister said.
The minister also called for innovative funding models to support research commercialisation, including Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs), venture capital investment, state-level innovation funds and industry-sponsored research programmes.
“Public funding alone cannot drive this transformation. We must explore partnerships and create investor confidence through transparency, regulatory clarity and protection of intellectual property,” he stated.
The Director-General of the National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI), Dr Kazeem Kolawole Raji, also highlighted ongoing initiatives to nurture young innovators, including the NextGen Innovation Challenge, which encourages Nigerian youths to develop business-driven innovations.
Dr Raji disclosed that the competition attracted about 3,000 innovative entries within three weeks last year, while over 1,000 applications have already been received for the 2026 edition.
“Our goal is to ensure that Nigerian youths become employers of labour. If each innovation creates jobs for 20 or 30 people, imagine the multiplier effect on employment and GDP,” he said.